Week 4 Roundup Groups A-D

Three teams from groups A-through-D secured a place in the Last 16 of the EuroChallenge during Week 4, while two sides slumped to defeats that leave them with no chance of advancing to the next phase of the competition.

Pinar Karsiyaka are one of three teams to be still undefeated after four gamedays

GROUP A

It's easier to pass a basketball through the eye of a needle than score against Pinar Karsiyaka these days, especially when they play at home.

Tofas SC Bursa shot just 33 percent from the floor on Tuesday against the best defence in the EuroChallenge and Karsiyaka maintained a firm grip on proceedings throughout, to win 78-56.

It was the fourth victory of the Izmir team in as many games and they punched their ticket to the Last 16 by doing what they do best - suffocate opponents.

On the other end of the floor, there was hardly a Karsiyaka possession whose outcome was not decided by Robert Dixon, who scored 16 points and dished out a season-best 12 assists.

The hosts started strong and led 22-17 at the first buzzer but then run out of fuel as the Russians took a five-point lead at half-time and then stepped on the gas after the interval, outscoring the Cypriot side 48-22.

Sandis Valters was the top scorer for BK Ventspils, as they cruised to victory at Norrköpping

GROUP C

Going into Tuesday's game against Norrköping Dolphins in Sweden, BK Ventspils had lost only once in 16 competitive games on three different fronts this season.

They needed just one more win to secure their passage to the Last 16 of the EuroChallenge.

The Dolphins on the other hand had lost only one game in the last month - against Ventspils, 72-68, when the two sides met on the opening day of the Regular Season.

For most of the game, everything pointed to an encounter as tight as that first one in Latvia.

Then Ventspils decided they quite liked their unbeaten run and wanted to prolong it.

The Latvians started pulling away in the third quarter and outscored their hosts 21-8 in the final frame to clinch a 69-51 victory and celebrate punching their ticket to the next phase of the EuroChallenge.

Sandis Valters led a very balanced Ventspils offence with 15 points, but their tough-as-nails defence was what decided the outcome.

The Dolphins were a mere 16-for-58 (26.7%) from the floor and only one player on the Swedish team, Oladapo Ayuba, scored in double digits.

Meanwhile in Finland, Tampereen Pyrintö claimed a first victory in the Regular Season at just the right time.

The Finns defeated Södertälje Kings73-65 at home and avoided a fourth straight loss that would condemn them to missing out on the Last 16 train prematurely.

The eight-point margin will give the Tampere outfit the edge over the Swedes in case of an eventual tie in the standings between the two teams.

An inspired Lamonte Ulmer led all scorers with 24 points and seven rebounds while his Pyrintö team-mate Damon Williams picked up a double-double of 19 points and 10 boards.